ENP Engineering Science Journal (Jul 2024)

Light yield measurement of the Ce3+ activated LuAG nano-powder garnet scintillating detector

  • Hamza Mekki,
  • Lakhdar Guerbous,
  • Hicham BOUSBIA-SALAH,
  • Billel Zahra,
  • Allaoua Boukerika

DOI
https://doi.org/10.53907/enpesj.v4i1.222
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4, no. 1
pp. 31 – 34

Abstract

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This paper focuses on the characterization of nano-powder (NP) scintillator, specifically presenting preliminary results of the measurement of the light yield (LY) of a newly synthesized Lutetium Aluminum (LuAG) garnet phosphor NP scintillator, doped with 0.1% cerium. The scintillation light yield was measured using the comparative method. Considering the light-scattering and self-absorbing properties of powder scintillators, alpha particles from 241Am source were used for excitation instead of Gamma/X rays, while a Ce3+ activated LuAG single crystal (SC) was employed as the reference detector due to its well-established light yield. A photomultiplier tube (PMT) served as the photodetector, and signals were read out by a nuclear instrumentation chain. The results demonstrate that the newly prepared LuAG:Ce NP exhibits a light output that is approximately 90% of that of the single crystal reference. These findings highlight the promising potential of NP scintillators as a viable alternative to single crystals, especially in applications where the preference for powder scintillators is evident.

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